Today, improper disposal or storage of hazardous or toxic waste materials is a major cause of environmental contamination. For those industries which must safely handle and disposed of these materials, it is important that containers and their attached closure means be not only, strong, durable and physically and chemically compatible with the disposed waste material, but also, designed properly. In presently available disposal containers, the closure may be opened and removed even after completion of filling of the container when the materials being discarded.
In the health care industry, for example, it is necessary to properly disposed of a wide range of materials, such as dirty needles and syringes, discarded medication ampules and vials, used IV bags and tubing, dirty wound dressings, blood supply containers, etc. The disposal containers chosen to hold these materials must be strong and durable and available with different container neck-size openings. Their attached closures must allow for the daily disposal of these materials.
Currently available waste disposed containers do not have closures that are both non-removable and permanently sealing. Many of the waste disposal containers presently found in hospitals, clinics, and dentist offices have snap-on closures or conventional threaded closures. Such closures are easily removed and do not permanently seal the containers and, therefore, undesirable for the disposal of these types of waste products.
Various patents, discussed below, have been issued disclosing containers particularly for use in dispensing pharmaceuticals or hazardous chemicals such as bleach having tamper-resistant or "child proof" closures.
Uhlig, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,100), discloses two safety closure features. First, it discloses a safety closure for containers of harmful products having a locking flap hinged to an outer cap body which folds and seals one or more dispensing openings provided in the cap body. Cooperating latching surfaces are provided on the flap and the body portion to retain the flap in a folded, closed position. In order to open the container, the cap body must be squeezed simultaneously with lifting the flap; a task not easily performed by small children. A second safety feature uses a plurality of circumferentially spaced ratchet teeth located on the lower edge of the cap body which cooperate with vertical oriented spines located on the container neck.
Gach, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,498), discloses a container having a nonrefillable, safety dispensing cap closure. In one embodiment, the container neck terminates in circumferentially spaced ratchet teeth which coact with an circumferentially spaced ratchet teeth found in the closure cap.
Duponti, (U.S. Pat. No. 1,773,830), discloses a nonrefillable bottle having an outer threaded cap that covers an inner valve cap permanently attached to the bottle neck with spurs. The valve cap contains a valve mechanism that prevents the bottle from being refilled.
It is also known to use a waste disposal container having a slidable closure which can be locked and permanently closed. Such closures, however, do not permanently seal the container.
None of these patents disclose containers with closures which are non-removable and which permanently seals the container for use as a waste disposal container.